My mom asked me to read the book to make sure I was okay with the things she wrote. I wish I could forget all the horrible things that happened and everything to do with autism. Who really wants every detail of their childhood out there for the world to see?

Some will say I never had autism or maybe that I was only mildly affected. I wish that were true. …I know my story is important to help others realize this disease is medical, treatable, and surmountable. I was lucky I had parents who fought back.

End of excerpts from the Forward by My Son, Ryan Hinds

Excerpts from the book’s Preface –

2% Ryan graduated magna cum laude and went on to earn a master’s degree with distinction in engineering. NASA awarded him a scholarship for his post-graduate studies as well as a paid summer internship. Ryan is presently a systems engineer at a major aerospace company. He lives in his own apartment just steps from the Pacific Ocean. He goes out with friends and surfs anytime he can. Sometimes I have to pinch myself, because what I wanted most for him actually happened. He is happy, has a great group of friends and a very active social life.

3% One of the hardest things to deal with when you have a child with autism is that you don’t know the rest of the story. You have no clue how things will turn out. There is no magic pill to cure our children. Trust me, I searched everywhere for it. But, I did find many snake-oil salesmen with the latest cures who took our money and then asked for more. My husband and I had to choose. We could let Ryan drift forever into his own world or drag him kicking and screaming into ours. Choosing was the easy part. How to accomplish his recovery was our twenty-year challenge and what this book is about.

End of excerpts from the book’s Preface

Excerpts from Marcia’s book –

4% I worried something might be seriously wrong with my son. He confused and frightened me when he did these crazy things. Impulsivity and rigid response weren’t unusual for Ryan…I had to save him from himself. No one ever told us autistic children have trouble moving from the now to whatever happens next.

At other times, Ryan wowed me with his intelligence. I knew he was smart. At only two, he spent hours playing computer games and could operated any piece of electronics in our house. He knew all his letters and numbers. Even though he couldn’t say them.

When it came to anything that captured his interest, his levels of concentration and comprehension were phenomenal. But his interests were limited and a bit odd. Ryan loved objects, but did he love us?

​What I didn’t know was how many other parents were also having similar thoughts about their unusual children, and that we were already card-carrying members of the A-Club.

Most of our days were spent trying to figure out what Ryan wanted or needed.

Nothing worked. We were like contestants on a game show where only Ryan knew the rules.

I couldn’t listen to the things the experts told me Ryan would never do. I knew Ryan was in there. There were times I saw him clearly. Other times, I only caught a glimpse of the kid he would someday become. I couldn’t give up on him. I wasted valuable time not getting him the help he needed. If you think there is something wrong, there probably is.

Like your shadow, autism is yours for life. To complicate things further, a child may have more than one diagnosis. Children with autism have multiple medical conditions…some people in the field are starting to call it “autisms.”

Our Sonny was soooo clumsy. He would stumble, drop down for no reason, then pop-up and stagger off. It wasn’t until he had a Gran Mal seizure that we found out that he had epilepsy. Then it was several years before a very smart neurologist told us that his staggering around and dropping down were ‘atypical absence seizures’ and ‘atonic’ or ‘drop’ seizures, part of a Lennox-Gastaut syndrome. Who knew?

According to Crumrine (2001), ‘Atypical absence seizures’ look as if the person has just ‘checked-out’ for a second or two. They will not respond to environmental stimuli. An ‘atonic seizure’ is a brief loss of posture. Looks like a head nod or more observable, a fall to the ground, or a stumble as knees give out. She also describes this Lennox-Gastaut syndrome as having at least two seizure types, including ‘tonic’, ‘atonic’, and/or ‘atypical absence seizures’; along with ‘cognitive impairment’ and often times lack of the ability to learn language, or being nonverbal.

Some nights, Sonny would fall out of bed, become incontinent, and sleepwalk. This too, was part of the syndrome. Dr. Crumrine refers to this as possible ‘tonic’ seizures which occur during nighttime sleep. Another ‘nonconvulsive’ observable events are sudden changes in ‘mental status’, eyelid fluttering, facial flushing, staring at hands and/or feet, associated ‘drooling’ and seemingly to be in a ‘stuporous’ state.

This is typical for Sonny. He can be right in the middle of something he has done a million times and then looks at you as if he doesn’t know who you are, where he is, or what he’s doing. We tell him, “Hey, that was a seizure… you’re okay now.” That seems to satisfy him and we guide him back to the activity he was interrupted from.

The doctor tells how a Ketogenic diets of high-fat, low-carbohydrate/sugar-free foods can serve as an additional treatment, but not ‘first-line’ because meds are needed for that. She goes on to say that “Lifetime care for these children and adults needs the combined support of services from nurses, physicians, teachers, social workers, psychologists, family and friends.” Whew!

Sonny was fortunate to have a neurologist who recognized his syndrome, knew it wasn’t all autism. He also knew that the FDA had just approved a new drug for patients with Lennox-Gastaut syndrome. Lucky for us, the planets had aligned and with Sonny now at age 29 years, our lives became easier with this neurologist and this medication.

Yet another clinical review states that while the subject remains poorly understood and controversial, there seems to be a ‘relationship’ between autism, epilepsy, and regression. I mention this, and I’ve carried on a bit about epilepsy only because I wish to make a statement about why sometimes it’s not always ALL AUTISM.

The findings of a 2017 study conclude that other things like motor and speech development are commonplace with autism. But also, psychiatric symptoms: Attention Deficit Disorder, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, conduct disorder, oppositional defiant disorder, generalized anxiety, depression, bi-polar, and even schizophrenia can ‘co-occur’ with autism. Just saying.

32% Doctor Goldberg told us on that first visit what I already knew to be true. Ryan didn’t really have autism, even though it sure looked like it. I didn’t really understand what Neuro-Immune Dysfunction Syndrome (NIDS) meant back then. I didn’t care. I had HOPE! My kid is sick and there is hope that he can get better. Finally, I found someone who not only wanted to help Ryan, but also had a way to do it. And he didn’t think I was crazy – at least not yet.

33% It was the NIDS approach combined with intensive rehabilitation that helped my son recover from autism. Recovery began by rebuilding his immune system. But just doing the NIDS protocol without any intensive rehabilitation wouldn’t have been enough. Years of behavioral and educational interventions were necessary to correct Ryan’s deficits in speech and social skills.CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE...

< My Thoughts > From cover to cover Lorca’s book is full of questions and answers to sensitive issues which you may not find in other places.

Excerpt from the Introduction by Lorca Damon –

1% The idea for this (second) book came about because every time I mention my autistic daughter to someone, the response is the same: “Oh, I know someone with autism.”

I wrote my first book about autism, Autism By Hand, because I couldn’t find any practical day-to-day information on raising my autistic daughter Carrie. I read everything I could get my hands on, but all of it was theoretical or scientific; even worse were a few books written by parents who swung widely to both ends of the emotional spectrum.

Some were nothing more than pie in-the-sky manifestos on how I should wear my daughter’s diagnosis and wear it like a badge of honor, as if I was one of the lucky ones who was chosen to have autism creep into my family and try to steal my daughter away.

2% I wrote about all the little things we learned that made a difference in helping my daughter become a stronger and more confident person, in spite of what autism was trying to do to her.

3% Overall, the theme of that book was about telling my daughter, “I love you fiercely, but you are going to have to learn to live in the same world as I do.”

4% I needed an instruction book where someone told me “Lorca, you have to get off your butt and help your baby, and this is how you are going to do it.”

End of excerpt from the Introduction by Lorca Damon.

Excerpts from the book –

5% (Chapter one: What Is Autism?) The long answer to the short question is autism might be lots of things. The only true answer is that autism is different in all children.

Here are some of the things we do know about autism. It is a disconnect in the brain that mostly affects language and social interactions, so verbal skills and having relationships with the people they come in contact with can be difficult.

Many autistic kids develop coping behaviors – or fixations – that they fall back on in stressful situations…

Unfortunately, those behaviors are so freaking weird that the kids get stared at or laughed at, which they are completely aware of but are unable to put a stop to.

I want everyone to understand that when an autistic person is stared at or talked about, he very well may be fully cognizant of the fact that he is the object of ridicule.

6% At the top of the common issues pyramid is sensory information. Sensory information can get skewed when autistic kids receive it, so background noise that we would never notice, like an airplane flying overhead or the neighbor mowing his lawn two houses down, can literally cause painful sensations, as can textures of clothing or certain food tastes. The sour piece of candy that made your face pucker a little bit can be painful to an autistic child.

I know this is hard for you and me to comprehend, but we are “talking serious physical pain here.” Not a mild irritation that one can live with, but serious physical pain from wearing a shirt with a scratchy tag or from hearing the sound the refrigerator makes, even though the kid is in the living room. Keep that in mind: physical pain like you and I cannot even envision, not “minor irritation that he can just learn to live with.”

9% Sensory input is often skewed in some way so that clothing doesn’t feel right or foods don’t taste right. Hugs don’t feel good and music that other people think can be fun or interesting or soothing can instead be frightening.

10% My daughter Carrie actually has an additional diagnosis of juvenile bipolar disorder on top of her autism. We thought for a long time that her wild mood swings and frequent screaming meltdowns were just another symptom of autism that we would have to learn to accept.

…(When) we began medication for the symptoms. She improved almost immediately and I could still cry thinking back to the years she spent suffering with uncontrollable emotional roller coaster rides because…we could have done something about it much sooner if we had been more aware of what is autism and what isn’t.

< My Thoughts > “What is autism and what isn’t.”

Many times, those with autism have two or more chronic conditions they are dealing with. My son went for years with an undiagnosed rare seizure disorder. This wasn’t a result of his autism, but is often seen as an accompanying problem. So when in doubt, visit a neurologist. But, get a referral from your primary physician to follow insurance protocol and prevent a huge co-pay. Smiles.

11% It’s not an isolated world. While a lot of kids tend to withdraw or spend hours inside their repetitive behaviors, you can’t use this as an excuse to think the child doesn’t know what’s going on around him.

We made this mistake many times in the early days of Carrie’s diagnosis… We would talk about Carrie like she wasn’t even there or I used to explain her weird behaviors to gawking strangers by telling them, “She’s autistic, she’ll calm down in a minute.”

I should have been saying, “Can I help you with something?” and giving them the evil eye. She’s my kid, and trust me, she’s no more badly behaved than any other kid trapped in a grocery cart!

On the other hand, it’s also not an excuse to raise a feral child. It is not an excuse to let a child live without dignity by not requiring a certain level of behavior or by allowing him to embarrass himself…

Autistic or not, they are still children and they are capable of some level of behavior.

12% There cannot be an excuse to NOT plan for a future. I personally do not believe there is a pill or a protocol or a diet that will make Carrie wake up tomorrow being “normal,” but I also can’t write her off as a child who will never become anything and say she won’t have a full life ahead of her.

13% …I certainly don’t waste a lot of time trying to make her become normal. …I do spend a lot of time trying to prepare her to live in the real world when she is older...

I want her to grow up to have a job that she enjoys, not some menial task in a sheltered workshop that wastes her really sharp mind.

I want her to be as independent as she can be, because it means the transition to the group home she will probably live in will be a lot less painful for both of us. I want her to be able to form relationships…

But she can’t do any of those things if I don’t make her adapt to a world that is very different from the one she would like to retreat to inside her head.

Now that autism is here, and is here to stay, there is no point in wasting Carrie’s life by pretending that it is a good thing or that it is where she has to stay for the rest of her life.

14% I work with her very diligently BUT LOVINGLY to bring her out of her isolated world, one baby step at a time. This book is about helping autistic people, not enabling.

15% Carrie isn’t dying from a terminal illness, she’s just a very different person than I originally thought she was going to be.

16% I’m a college educated teacher with a Master’s degree and even I had to ask her neurologist one day to give me an adjective to describe her. “Is she ‘mildly’ autistic? You know, ‘the probably going to college’ kind?” I asked tentatively. It took him a while to answer.

“No. She’s not mild. She’s more like ‘moderate to profound.’ She will probably never go to college and she will probably never live on her own,” he answered.

(NOTE: I’m crying just writing those words because I remember how much they hurt…)

I had to have that bucket of ice water thrown in my face so that I didn’t waste precious years of Carrie’s life while operating on the assumption that Carrie was going to turn out just fine on her own.

Excerpts from the book (2% indicates location in the Kindle version of the book, instead of page numbers.)​2% For over two years, our days consisted of surviving tantrums of epic proportions. They were epic in terms of both duration and the ferocity of the frustration and anger that was being unleashed by Dale due to his inability to communicate with us on any level. Dale had no idea who we were and we feared we would never be able to reach him.​< My Thoughts > “…no one would listen to me for another two years, when finally, aged almost four, Dale was diagnosed with classical autism.”

Laura Crane (2015) from the University of London explains that parents “usually waiteda year from when they first had concerns about their child’s developmentbefore they sought professional help. On average, there was a delay of around 3.5 years from the point at which parents first approached a health professional with their concerns to the confirmation of an autism spectrum disorder diagnosis.”

2% Dale had no idea who we were, and we feared we would never be able to reach him.

< My Thoughts>“Dale had no idea who we were…”

There are many articles on the ‘signs of autism’ in a child, ​but professional articles are scarce. Often this oddity of not recognizing or responding to parents, siblings, or caregivers is embedded in ‘Red Flag Lists’. For instance, early signs in babies…

doesn’t make eye contact when being fed

doesn’t smile back

doesn’t respond to familiar voice or to their name when called

doesn’t try to get your attention, other than in an extreme way… tantrum, screaming, or other disturbing behavior

appears disinterested in what is going on around them… or, who is with them

seems not to hear (often parent rush to have child’s hearing checked, only to find that is not the problem)

​2% …at a children’s Christmas party…Dale reacted as though Santa himself was a monster… Dale clung to me as though his very life depended on it.

On witnessing my son’s reaction, a nursing colleague gave me a word that made sense of Dale to her, but it left me feeling as though she had just told me my son had cancer.

She said Dale reminded her of a group of children she had worked with in the past, and they were autistic.

​Autism: Turning on the Light: A Father Shares His Son’s Inspirational Life’s Journey through Autism, by Keith Ambersley, eBook 2013 Edition; an Extended Review with < My Thoughts > by Sara Luker

< Excerpts from the Preface of Turning on the Light >

3% My name is Aaron, and my diagnosis is pervasive developmental disorder (PDD). Generally PDD is readily defined as autism, which is a more recognizable term.

This cognitive and receptive disorder prevents me from processing information quickly and accurately with the addition of speech and language delays and attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

Everything has to be explained to me at a slower pace so that I can make sense of it all. My dad says it’s not important when you get it, but more importantly that you get it!

I have many dreams, just like kids without this disability. My hope is to do my very best beyond autism. To be recognized for my ability and not for my inability.

5% My dad is writing this book for me to share my story. My story tells of the many obstacles, challenges, and success I’ve encountered on my journey down the road of autism.

I want each parent of an autistic child to realize that no matter how daunting and frustrating the task, nothing is impossible!

Each milestone and accomplishment, no matter how small, is a dream realized when put in the right context. I have a long way to go.

< My Thoughts > “Each milestone and accomplishments...”

Achieving a goal, meeting a milestone, and accomplishing even the smallest task, is huge. Really, it’s hard for someone who is not on the spectrum to appreciate what this population must overcome ‘thinking-wise’ in order to reach even the tiniest of goals.

In teaching special education students and/or high-risk students I have found that are three ‘hard to learn’ skills keeping them from reaching their goals. It’s hard to learn, or even to think about – how to PLAN, how to PREDICT, or how to recognize CONSEQUENCES.

5% However, every day leads me closer to realizing my ultimate dream of limiting the autistic restrictions and becoming more independent to the best of my ability.

< End of excerpts from the Preface >

< Excerpts from the Introduction of Turning on the Light >

5% Social change has moved the needle in a positive direction to preserve the right and dignity of children and adults with autism.

6% Our family has chosen the path of autism light, which enables and engages our son Aaron so that he can set goals, live his dreams, and exceed his expectations at his pace and on his terms.

Wherever his dream takes him, we are right there in his corner to support and encourage him on his journey, to enable him to pursue areas of interest not yet known to us.

His dreams could also take him to different countries and cultures. With today‘s technological advancements and the global community becoming a homogeneous network of people, this dream is both conceivable and possible.

We find ourselves helping each other in so many different ways. He helps me to think outside the box for creative solutions to help him navigate the basic fundamentals of communication and social behavior, which I have taken for granted all my life.

5% What makes this personal story so remarkable is that it comes from a young man whose verbal expressive language is profoundly impaired but who communicates almost exclusively by independently writing or typing his thoughts and ideas on a computer.

Autism is a behaviorally defined disorder characterized by impaired social interaction, delayed and disordered language, and isolated areas of interest.

Basic scientific research in autism is moving forward ever more rapidly, parallel to and in association with active clinical research, but much remains to be learned.

Attending to the observations of those affected with the disorder can help us frame realistic and meaningful questions worthy of investigation.

Each one of Tito’s observations in this book affords us an opportunity to consider how this young man is taking in and handling information in a variety of modalities.

< My Thoughts > “…taking in and handling information in a variety of modalities”

This is what children with autism do. How they process what is going on in the environment depends on their sensitivities and abilities…and that can be ever changing. Just when you think you may have the answer…they change the question. 6% There is little doubt that Tito is who he is in large part because of the persistence and dedication of his mother and her ever-present and creative teaching and learning.

< My Thoughts > “There is little doubt…”

Tito and his mother had a connection which allowed for this unrelenting persistence, dedication and creative teaching.

Whatever the future holds for Tito, he has already made a significant contribution to the field of autism…

One of my first thoughts when presenting this material was for parents and educators to hear Tito’s story. Hopefully through his words everyone will gain a greater understanding about how autism played a role in his life and that of his mother.

End of excerpt from Dr. Bauman’s Forward. +++++++++++Excerpts from Tito’s book…

Tito’s words ~

6% There are times in everyone’s life when there is a need to tell a story. It can be any story.

7% I grew my stories from this and that, now and then, here or there, to compose this book.

Right now, I am thinking about a mirror. It was a mirror in one of the rooms upstairs, in the house where I spend my second and third years of life. The mirror in front of a window, and it reflected the rocks of those sun-baked hills outside the window.

< My Thoughts > “Right now, I am thinking about a mirror.”

Sonny spends a lot of time with mirrors and glass reflections. He coos to them and seems to look beyond his own reflection. Sometimes I think he is looking at the reflection of the ceiling fans. We put a full length mirror on his closet door and a small framed mirror sitting on the floor where he can move it around if he wants to.

7% I would stand in front of that mirror, not to admire the landscape in its reflection. I would not stand in front of it to see how well my hair was groomed either. I would stand in front of it because I believed that the mirror wanted to tell me a story.

I believed that the mirror wanted to tell me a story because I wanted to tell it a story. I would tell my story to the mirror, and the mirror would tell me back the story. I would believe that the mirror heard my thoughts.

​I Am In Here: The Journey of a Child with Autism Who Cannot Speak but Finds Her Voice, by Elizabeth M. Bonker & Virginia G. Breen, eBook 2011; an Extended Review with < My Thoughts > by Sara Luker

(4% indicates location in the Kindle version of the book, instead of page numbers.)<Excerpts from book by E.M. Bonker & V.G. Breen> 4% Beauty bursts forth in the most unexpected places. Tiny flowers push their way through cracks in the asphalt of city streets. And often we glide past these quiet miracles without paying them much heed.But I can’t anymore, because I live with one of those miracles: my thirteen-year-old daughter, Elizabeth. She is profoundly affected by autism and cannot speak. Yet she has summoned the courage to remain optimistic. She has shattered the silence of autism and found an escape from its shackles in the beauty of her poetry. Her poetry tells us about the inner world of autism and shines a light on the world around us.5% When I asked Elizabeth how she wanted to introduce her book, she wrote:Book Introduction by Elizabeth M. BonkerI want people to find peace in my book. I want them to read my prayers with understanding. Be at peace. God loves you.As usual, her words are better than mine and for that reason we have put all of Elizabeth’s writings in boldface so you can easily pick them out.< My Thoughts > “Be at peace. God loves you.”Some children on the autism spectrum talk about their love of God, angels, and praying, or other spiritual connections. This has always piqued my curiosity because many of these believers do not come from a family that has ever visited a place of worship, and they may not even be aware of the child’s faith. 5% The stories in between are written by me, from the perspective of a mom, with lots of help from some dear friends.Elizabeth’s older brother, Charles, also has autism. But in an ironic contrast to Elizabeth’s struggle to speak, Charles rarely stops talking. Both have made great progress over a full range of social, language, and behavioral issues. Both are in mainstream public school with the help of wonderful, dedicated aides.7% I cannot explain why our children bear the burden of autism. I’m no philosopher or theologian, just one of thousands of guilt-ridden mothers scratching and clawing to get our kids back from the tar grip of autism.

Me by Elizabeth M. Bonker (Written by Elizabeth at age nine) I sometimes fear That people cannot understand That I hear And know That they don’t believe I go To every extreme To try to express My need to talk. If only they could walk in my shoes They would share my news, I am in here And trying to speak every day In some kind of way.8% I have fought a great battle to heal Elizabeth and Charles. Elizabeth lost her ability to speak at fifteen months of age and fell into silence… Within a week of being given a battery of routine vaccinations…her voice was silenced and all the energy and mischief in her eyes drained away.

(5% indicates location in the Kindle version of the book, instead of page numbers.)​< Excerpt from book Forward by Yoram Bonneh, Ph.D., Department of Human Biology, University of Haifa, Israel >

5% I met Ido Kedar in the summer of 2011 and saw an intelligent fifteen year old boy struggling with what he calls the “stupid illness” of autism.

Ido’s observable behavior was exactly like that of a mute child with severe autism, with almost no eye contact, restless movement and self-stimulation and “speech” made of unintelligible sounds.

Yet, from typing and a few other hints, I had no doubt that he was intelligent.

6% Ido tells us the main problem he struggles with is that of ‘output’. Surely he has other problems and difficulties, such as working memory attention, sensory sensitivity, and control of arousal and urges.

< My Thoughts > ‘Output’ –

Sicile-Kira (2014) addresses that for her readers by telling them that “Just because someone is unable to talk doesn’t mean he doesn’t understand what is going on around him. That student’s challenge could be in the ‘output’, not in the understanding of what he hears.” “Assumptions about a child’s intelligence cannot be made because of his lack of communication or social skills.”

< End of excerpt from Bonneh’s Forward >

================

Excerpt from the Introduction by Ido’s mother, Tracy Kedar…

7% Ido (pronounced – ee-doh), a 15 year old boy, explains:

Imagine being unable to communicate because you have a body that doesn’t listen to your thoughts.

You want to speak and you know what you want to say, but either you can’t get words out, or what comes out are nonsensical sounds…

Or the same embedded phrases you have said thousands of times.

Imagine living in a body that paces or flaps hands or twirls ribbons when your mind wants it to be still or, freezes when your mind pleads with it to react.

You lie in a bed, cold, wishing you could get your body to pull on a blanket.

< My Thoughts > “…wishing you could get your body to pull up on a blanket.”

Many children with autism have difficulty with ‘self-generated commands’. The reason for this has to do with the wiring of the brain and developing an internal model of behavior. According to writer Stewart Mostofsky, “Children with autism are impaired in their ability to acquire models of action because of their bias towards proprioceptive-guided motor learning.” In other words, their motor learning is mostly directed by what their body senses, as opposed to what it sees that it should be doing.

There is a severe disconnection between his explicit intentional thoughts and his automatic ones, which prevents his true cognitive talents and personality to be expressed by his behavior. So, Ido can’t make himself pull up the blanket even though he sees it and knows what he wants to do. He needs to be able to ‘self-generate’ the command, but he is helpless to do so because his brain wiring won’t allow him to initiate that connection. (Ido talks about this further… see 51%)

7% At other times your body charges forward impulsively, snatching things, or dashing you into the street.

Imagine being stuck in an educational program, year after year, that is designed for preschooler who learns slowly.

You are bored, frustrated, angry, misunderstood and more than a little hopeless. You turn to repetitive behaviors, or ‘stims’, which create a sensory drug-like experience that takes you away from the pain but makes the situation so much worse by pulling you farther from reality.

You are lonely, though surrounded by people, and you know that this will be you entire life if you do not gain a means to communicate more than your basic needs. But no one is teaching you how.

(2% indicates location in the Kindle version of the book, instead of page numbers.)

Excerpts from the book -

2% I have raised eight very special kids – or perhaps it is more accurate to say – eight very special kids raised me.I understand autism from the vantage points of living with it on a twenty-four-hour-a-day basis and from working with it eight hours a day for weeks on end. I’ve been, and am, aspects of you. I share some, or all, of your situation and have armed myself with twenty-five years of acquired knowledge that you may not have had the time to learn, I am blessed. My clients are improving and most of my kids have grown healthy as well as independent.At first I was just self-educating as I read and gulped and followed up on every autism clue. Eventually I embraced more formalized training and received certifications in the Son-Rise method (a form of play therapy aimed at improving autism) and in Option Process Mentor counseling. I trained in and apprenticed under some of the top clinicians in the field of neurofeedback (aka biofeedback for the brain), which as it turns out is the easiest and most excitingly impactful therapy I have ever used. I then branched out on my own using family dynamics counseling, play therapy, and neurofeedback to heal children and their families around the globe. < My Thoughts > “…my main and most-used therapy is neurofeedback…”From website: http://nevadaneurohealthcenter.com/ Retrieved November 2016. Authors on this website tell us that… “Neurofeedback piggy-backs on very old principles of learning, classical conditioning and operant conditioning.” “Neurofeedback attempts to teach out of control portions of the brain to act more in synch with the entire mind… when all parts are in a balanced rhythm.” They tell us… “The brain can be thought of as a symphony orchestra, one with many different instrumental sections such as string, wind, percussion, etc. If left to play with no conductor, the symphony orchestra would sound dissonant and unpleasant.” With neurofeedback, “…the brain can begin to process more efficiently, resulting in a healthier mental state.”The authors caution that neurofeedback does not benefit everyone. They train by “visual and auditory methods, however if you are not much of a TV person and not much of a Music person you may have trouble benefitting…” The reason is that neurofeedback is a therapy which “allows your child to focus on something they enjoy and that can hold their attention. As your child watching a movie.” As the child watches the movie… the computer receives information in real time, the activity of the brain.” The feedback comes in the form of the movie getting brighter or dimmer, or modifications in the sound. When the brain is processing the data more efficiently, the child is rewarded with better picture clarity or better sound; reinforcement. “Neurofeedback is a method of making you feel alert, relaxed and aware, all through reinforcement.” Sometimes known as “training your brain while watching a movie!”2% Eventually I ended up with a Masters in Social & Behavioral Science. I study neuroanatomy to be better equipped when working with neurofeedback and align myself with the minds of as many highly respected professionals as I can attract.< My Thoughts > “…better equipped when working with neurofeedback…”Sterman & Egner (2006) say “…the research literature as it stands today provides very good grounds for considering neurofeedback training a valuable treatment option, particularly in drug non-responders.”3% For example, before I even dreamed of embarking on a career dedicated to changing brain function, I was educating myself in ways that would later become useful; in my early twenties I got an honors degree in the seemingly unrelated field of main-frame computer languages. Given that I work with computers to fix brain-wave activity, part of that training came in handy while also enhancing my understanding of the activity of the brain.I will share my story of trying to raise children and grandchildren. Out of autism that the treasures come and the mysteries are unraveled. It is because… most of the children I am referring to are no longer diagnosable as autistic.

1% I am an Autistic adult, so all those messages of despair are about me and people like me. I hear the terrible things that are said about Autism and those of us who are Autistic and I have to wonder if the people saying those things believe we don’t have feelings. Or maybe they think we’re too far gone to ever hear what they’re saying about us. But they are wrong.

We hear and understand and hurt. And not just Autistic adults, but children too. We hear what is said about us, and it is devastating.

My goal was to write something every day in April (Autism Awareness Month), working my way through the alphabet as I talked about ways to understand and accept us better.

This is a book about ways that it is wonderful to be Autistic and ways that the world makes it very difficult for us Autistics to find a place to survive and thrive in it. As I wrote, sometimes I felt myself speaking to fellow Autistic adults, and at other times to parents of Autistic children.

Important ideas: presume competence, do not try to fix us for we are not broken, help us to live the fullest and most fulfilling lives we can, always remember to include us as the main stakeholders in the decisions that are made about us and our future.

I apologize to my siblings in other countries for being so focused on the details of my own country, but I can only write what I know.

< My Thoughts > “…my siblings in other countries…”

Autism is a global concern. According to www.globalautismproject.org there are 70 million people in the world with Autism; 85% of them live in developing countries.

These high rates of Autism, www.worldatlas.com/ tells us may be caused by unexplained environmental conditions. This high number may also be attributed to the increased awareness and more effective diagnostic methods. The highest number of cases per 10,000 children, per year was in Japan at 161; their research telling them it has a relationship to the MMR vaccine. The lowest cases, 9.2 per 10,000 are found in Portugal where they say it is detected along with other more recognizable medical conditions. The USA showed 66 cases per 10,000, stating that early detection and surveillance are keys to Autism awareness. U.S. researchers found that both genetics and environmental factors are closely correlated to causes in this country.

Garcia-Primo, et al. (2014) report that Europe leads the field with development screening and screening study of Autism. Spain, the Netherlands, England, Belgium, Italy, Finland, and France have reported that their numbers may be ‘under’ reported, due to parents or physicians not wanting to subject children to lengthy assessments. This refers to the CHAT and M-CHAT tests which are used by clinicians to consistently improve early ASD detection procedures across Europe.

Note: The CHAT – Checklist for Autism in Toddlers and M-CHAT – Modified- Checklist for Autism in Toddlers are testing instruments used by pediatricians who have been trained to give and interpret these testing instruments.

1% Bring an open mind to this book. You may feel challenged by some of what you read. Some of these essays will make you angry or sad. I hope all of them will move you to action. I want you to challenge ableism.

I want you to listen to Autistic people. I want you to help us as we work to make the world a better, safer place for us to live. If you are Autistic, I want you to love and accept yourself for who you are at this moment, and to never give up on yourself in your quest to be the person you dream of being.

​The Aspie Parent, Writings from the Blog: the First Two Years A Collection of Posts from the Aspie Parent Blog by Liz Cademy, eBook Edition 2013 Edition; an Extended Review with < My Thoughts > by Sara Luker

(8% indicates location in the Kindle version of the book, instead of page numbers.)

< Short excerpt from Liz’s Alphabet Soup >

8% - 11% Hello, before I get into any topics of substance, I thought I would ‘define my terms’, as the professor would say. And, if I use any other terms, I will define them in context in hopes of clarifying the meaning.

Alphabet Soup:

Aspie and AS – are both short for Asperger’s Syndrome, condition where the brain is wired differently than normal. In severe cases, this rewiring can cause autism, but most Aspies are able to be productive members of our modern world, if seen as a bit quirky…

NLD – stands for Non-verbal Learning Disorder… The main distinction is that people with NLD have problems decoding any and all non-verbal information, while Aspies can have excellent visual learning patterns.

PDD/NOS – is short for Pervasive Development Disorder. NOS – Not Otherwise Specified. In plain English, this means a person doesn’t have NLD, or Aspergers, but definitely has something like them…

On the spectrum – a blanket term for anyone who has any autism spectrum condition, mild or severe or anything in between.

NT – neurotypical, the term used for people who are not on the spectrum.

Gifted, GT –Lots of people with Asperger’s are smarter than average, either in a few areas or overall. The term Gifted refers to anyone of above average intelligence…

Twice Exceptional, 2E – 2E simply means a person is both Gifted and has some other issue, usually a learning difference such as AS (Autism Spectrum), ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder), or similar…

Special Education, SPED – When kids going to school need services and accommodations beyond the usual… The student is evaluated first, and if eligible, an IEP, Individual Education Plan is prepared, outlining the specific services and learning goals for that student.

An IEP is a legally and binding contract meant to address each child’s unique learning issues and specific educational goals. The school must provide everything it promises in the IEP, or the parents have a legal recourse, called Due Process.

The IEP provides educational support and services through IEP Modifications & Accommodations which will help your child progress through the educational system. This provision continues for each student who qualifies until s/he reaches their 22nd birthday. IEP Modifications are often paired with IEP Accommodations in order to make learning more accessible, allowing that student to more fully participate in learning and testing of what educational goals have been met.

< End of short excerpt from Alphabet Soup >=============

Excerpts from Liz’s book…

5% This eBook is a collection of blog posts from the first three years of my blog, The Aspie Parent.

You will see some references to my children, Ocelot and Climber. These are not their real names, but pseudonyms…

Ocelot is a girl, and was in high school when I wrote these blog posts. She’s both highly gifted and has “something” on the spectrum, though not Asperger’s.

6% Climber was in elementary school, and is also highly gifted, but NT (neurotypical)…

7% I am a parent, and I have Asperger’s. One of my kids (who has the pseudonym Ocelot online) has been diagnosed with PDD-NOS, Asperger’s’ cousin.

…I realize I have a lot of tips for other parents of kids who are either on the mild end of the autism spectrum or have similar learning differences.

As a parent with Asperger’s, I also have stories of times when my AS made being a good mom difficult.

Sara Luker is the author of this BLOG.

My purposes are 'educational' in nature. My hope is that this is a place for 'First Responders' and the 'Battle Worn' alike to find information, take solace, and to help one another, in the name of Autism. My commitment is to deliver hope, insight, and a realm of possibilities to all who enter this site.

​Disclaimer: Just to let you know that I, Sara Luker, have put forth my best efforts to create the extended book reviews presented here on this website. I have permission from the authors to publish these Extended Book Reviews. This is just a sharing of stories of those who have gone on before you. Please, understand also that all health matters ALWAYS require professional medical decisions, diagnosis, and treatment by highly qualified and licensed individuals.

Recently, I have added “What to Do While You Wait” to the website. This collection of information is for educational purposes only. My hope is that you will not feel alone when dealing with the mysteries of Autism Spectrum Disorder. Know that I, Sara Luker, receive neither financial rewards nor other interests derived from this website. This has been created purely for the readers sharing information and for your enjoyment.